Control magnet arrangement



April 1970 w. BREITLING 3,506,189

CONTROL MAGNET ARRANGEMENT Filed Oct. 3, 1967 In vinzor: 1 M M UnitedStates Patent O 3,506,189 CONTROL MAGNET ARRANGEMENT Wilhelm Breitling,Villingen, Black Forest, Germany, assignor, by mesne assignments, toTriumph WerkeNurnberg Aktiengesellschaft, Nuremburg, Germany Filed Oct.3, 1967, Ser. No. 672,526 I Claims priority, application Germany, Oct.5, 1966, S 106,374 Int. Cl. B41j 5/08; G06c 11/04; H01h 50/42 US. Cl.235-58 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A row of permanent magnetscontrols the ordinal setting means of a register of a high speed printerfor a calculator or accounting machine. Each permanent magnet has anarmature movable between two end'positions abutting the pole shoes ofthe permanent magnet. A winding is provided for each permanent magnet tomove the armature, which is connected with the locking means of thesetting means, out of one end position and beyond an intermediateposition so that the magnetic flux of the permanent magnet continues tomove the armature and the respective locking means to the other endposition in which the setting means is locked in a selected position.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a controlmagnet arrangement for operating the locking means of the setting meansby which the ordinal wheels of a register are set to selected digitalpositions. According to the prior art, control magnets serving thispurpose have a winding, and a magnetizable armature which is shifted tocontrol the setting means of a register when the winding is energized byan electric control impulse. Control magnet arrangements of this typecannot operate at high speeds, which is particularly disadvantageous ifthe register wheels of a high speed printer are to be controlled sincethe limited printing speed which can be obtained is much slower than thecalculating speed of the calculator. Another disadvantage of controlmagnets according to the prior art is the greater amount of spacerequired, which causes difficulties if the register elements of theprinting register are spaced small pitch distances from each other, asis customary in high speed printers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is one object of the invention to provide acontrol magnet arrangement overcoming the disadvantages of the priorart, and being capable of operating at high speed, while requiringlittle space.

Another object of the invention is to only start the movement of thearmature by energizing the winding, and to finish the movement of thearmature under the control of a permanent magnet. I

With these objects in view, the present invention relates to a controlmagnet arrangement which comprises a permanent magnet for holding anarmature in two end positions, and winding means energizable by animpulse for moving the armature out of either end position and beyond anintermediateposition from where on the armature is moved by thepermanent magnet to the other end position. A permanent ferrite magnetof suitable permeability is preferably used in the arrangement.

Since the permanent magnet assists the electrical y excited winding inmoving the armature, the winding can be comparatively small so that thesize of each unit is reduced as compared with prior art constructions.Since the permanent magnet holds the armature in two stable endpositions, only a short impulse has to be supplied to 3,506,189 PatentedApr. 14, 1970 ICC the winding for actuating the control magnet, and themagnetic field produced by the winding lasts only until the armature hasbeen moved out of an end position and beyond an intermediate positionwhereupon the magnetic field of the permanent magnet snaps the armatureto the other end position.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, a perma nent magnet hastwo pole shoe members in the form of legs attached to the poles of thepermanent magnet and carrying pole shoes between which the movable endof an armature rod is located whose other end rests on a neutral zone ofthe permanent magnet. The winding surrounds the armature rod and islocated between the pole shoe members, the permanent magnet, and thepole shoes so that the magnet flux is increased in one of the pole shoemembers, and decreased in the other pole shoe members when the windingis energized and influences by its temporary flux, the flux produced bythe permanent magnet. In this manner, the magnetic field between thepole shoes acts on the armature rod to shift the armature from one endposition to the other.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the free end of thearmature rod projects above the pole shoes,

" and is connected with a locking member by which the setting wheel ofone order of a register is locked in a selected digital position whenthe armature is shifted to one end position and shifts the lockingmember to a locking position in which the setting means is locked in aselected digital position. For example, the setting means may be asetting wheel having teeth of sawtooth shape which abut the lockingmember when the same is in a locking position, and thus stop thecorresponding register wheel in the desired digital position.

In the preferred embodiment, the free movable end of the armature isfork-shaped and engages recesses in a locking bar consisting of anon-magnetizable material.

Each control magnet unit according to the invention controls a lockingmember, the locking members being respectively associated with theordinal setting wheels which control the ordinal register elements of aprinting register, for example. All toothed setting wheels aresimultaneously turned in one direction, and then permitted to turn inthe opposite direction by a control rail extending parallel to the axisof rotation of the setting wheels, which are preferably gear segmen shaving ten teeth respectively associated with the ten digits.

After the prining operaton, the armatures of the control magnets have tobe returned to the normal end position, which is preferably effected bythe back faces of the sawtooth-shaped teeth of the setting wheels whenthe same are turned in reverse direction of rotation. It is onlynecessary to move the armature beyond the intermediate position,whereupon the magnetic field of the permanent magnet moves the armatureto its normal position in which the locking member is retracted and inan inoperative position spaced from the respective setting wheel.However, it is also possible to return the armature and locking memberto the normal inoperative position by energizing the winding to producea magn tic field opposed to the magnetic field produced by the firstenergization by which the locking member was actuated.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention a plurality of controlunits is arranged in several rows, and adjacent control units arestaggered in transverse direction. In the preferred embodiment of theinvention, three rows of transversely staggered control units areprovided.

The novel features which are considered as characteristic for theinvention are set forth in particular in the appended claims. Theinvention itself, however, both as to its construction and its method ofoperation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, willbe best understood from the following description of specificembodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a side view, partially insection along line 1-1 in FIG. 2 and illustrating an embodiment of theinvention; and

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a control magnet arrangement as shown in FIG.1, shown partially broken off and in section.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The illustrated embodimentconsists of twenty-four units arranged in three rows I, II, III, theindividual units being staggered in longitudinal and transversedirections. FIG. 1 illustrates three adjacent units, the unit in thesecond row II being shown in vertical section. Each unit comprises apermanent magnet 1 to whose poles two pole members 2 and 3 are attachedwhich terminate in inwardly bent flanges 4 and 5 which are the poleshoes of the permanent magnet, and define a gap 6. An armature rod 8 hasa lower end 9 resting on permanent magnet 1 in a region equally spacedfrom the poles of the same so that end portion 9 of armature rod 8 islocated in a zone where there is nearly no magnetic field. The upperfree end portion of armature rod 8 is located in'the gap 6 and projectsbeyond pole shoes 4 and 5, ending in a forkshaped portion whose prongs17 are located in opposite lateral recesse of a locking bar 12 which isguided between a pair of guide members 19. Each unit has an armature 8connected with a locking bar 12, the locking bars of the three rows I,II, III being of different length so that the free ends 13 of thelocking bars are aligned. A winding 7 in the form of a coil is locatedbetween pole members 2 and 3, and has an inner space in which armaturerod 8 is located.

When an electric impulse is supplied to winding 7, a magnetic flux isproduced in pole members 2 and 3 which has such a direction as to beopposed to the flux in one of the pole members, and to increase the fluxin the other pole member. Of course, the conditions are reversed if thepolarity of the winding is reversed.

Assuming that the armature rod abuts pole shoe 4 in one end position,and that the magnetic flux in pole member 3 and pole shoe 5 is increasedwhen Winding 7 is energized, While the magnet flux in pole member 2 andpole shoe 4 is decreased, armature rod 8 will be moved from the endposition abutting pole shoe 4 to the other end position abutting poleshoe 5. Since the respective locking bar 12 is connected with theforked-shaped end 17 of the armature rod 8, it is shifted to the rightas viewed in the drawing from the previous inoperative position to alocking position located between two teeth of a setting gear member 15which is turnable between a plurality of digital positions. A rail 16 isdriven from the operating means of a calculator or accounting machine,abuts the lower edges of all setting members 15, and is operable toraise and lower the settinggear members 15 during an operational cycleof the apparatus. The teeth 14 of setting gear member 15 aresawtooth-shaped, and have a steep flank and a sloping back face. In aposition of rest, rail 16 holds all setting members 15 above lockingbars 12. When rail 16 is moved downward, the setting members 15, whichare spring-biassed, follow rail 16, and are stopped by the correlatedadvanced locking bars in dilferent digital positions. A similar settingmechanism is disclosed in the US. Patent 3,384,009.

Assuming that armature rod 8 is in the left end position abutting poleshoe 4 so that the corresponding locking bar 12 is in the leftinoperative position in which its free end 13 is spaced from the teethof setting gear member 15. All setting gear members 15 are lowered froma high initial position by downward movement of rail 16 when it isdesired to transfer the values calculated in the calculator to theordinal printing wheels of a printing register, not shown, which arerespectively controlled by the ordinal set of setting gear members 15.As soon as any one of the setting gear members 15 arrives in a positionassociated with a desired digital position of the respective registerelement, winding 7 is momentarily energized by an electric impulse whichrepresents the respective digit and is generated as described in US.Patent 3,384,009, so that the magnetic flux produced by the impulseflowing through the winding is superimposed on the magnetic fluxproduced by the permanent magnet 1, and the magnetic field between thepole shoes 4 and 5 is changed in such a manner that armature rod 8 isshifted from its left end position abutting pole shoe 4 to its right endposition abutting pole shoe 5, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

Locking member 12 is shifted from its previous inoperative position to alocking position in which its end portion 13 is located between twoteeth 14, the flank of the trailing tooth 14 abutting end portion 13 sothat further movement of the respective setting gear member 15 under theaction of springs, not shown, is blocked and the corresponding registerelement of the printing register is set to a corresponding digitalposition. Due to the small mass of armature rod 8 and of locking member12, shifting can take place very rapidly, and since only a very shortelectric impulse is required for energizing winding 7, the impulse canhave a very high current since the short time of energization preventsan overheating of the winding.

Due to the sawtooth shape of teeth 14, any actuated unit can bemechanically returned to its initial inoperative position. Rail 16 isoperated to raise all setting gear members 15 to a high initial positionin which all teeth 14 are located above the plane of locking members 12so that the sloping back face of the previously leading tooth 14 slidesalong the end face of end portion 13 of locking bar 14, urging the sameto the left together with theend portion 11 of armature rod 8 which washeld in the end position abutting pole shoe 5 by the magnetic field ofthe permanent magnet 1 after deenergization of winding 7.

When the operative tooth 14 has moved locking bar 12 far enough to theleft so that armature rod 8 is moved beyond a central intermediateposition, the magnetic field passing through pole shoe 4 becomeseffective to move armature rod to the left end position abutting poleshoe 4 so that locking member 12 is held in its inoperative positionspaced from the points of teeth 14. It is not necessary to construct theteeth to such heightas to move the armature rod all the way from the endposition abuttingpole shoe 5 to, the end position abutting pole shoe 4.Instead of mechanically moving members 12 and 8 to the inoperativenormal position, an electric impulse may be supplied to Winding 7 andenergize the same in a polarity opposite to its previous polarity sothat the fl-ux in pole shoe 4 is increased, and the flux in pole shoe 5is reduced, and armature rod 8 is shifted to the left end position. r I

The arrangement of themagnetic unit in three staggered rows, .as bestseen in FIG. 2, permits it to dispose a great number of locking rods. 12adjacent each other spaced a, verysmall pitch distance from each other,as best-seen in the lower right hand portion of FIG. 2. The setting gearmembers 15 are spaced the same pitch distance, so that the registerelements of theprinting register, not shown, can be spaced also the samepitch distance. Since onlyvery short electric impulses are required forshifting the armatures and locking members, the compact construction andarrangement of the magnetic unit does not cause any overheating'of theapparatus.

It will be understood that each of the elements described above, or twoor more together, may also find a useful-application in other types ofcontrol magnet arrangements'diifering from the types'descri-bed above}Whilethe invention has-been illustrated and described as embodied in acontrol magnet arrangement including a permanent magnet and anenergizable winding for influencing the magnetic flux so that thearmature is shifted, it is not intended to be limited to the detailsshown, since various modifications and structural changes may be madewithout departing in any way from the spirit of the present invention.

Without further analysis, the foregoing will so fully reveal the gist ofthe present invention that others can by applying current knowledgereadily adapt it for various applications without omitting featuresthat, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essentialcharacteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this inventionand, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to becomprehended within the meaning and range of equivalence of thefollowing claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be protected by Letters Patent isset forth in the appended claims.

1. Control magnet arrangement for use with a register, comprising, incombination, permanent magnet means ineluding two stops; an armaturemovable between two end positions respectively abutting said stops, andan intermediate position, and being attracted to either end positionwhen moving beyond said intermediate position and held in the respectiveend position by the magnetic flux of said permanent magnet means; awinding temporarily energizable for producing another flux for movingsaid armature out of either end position and beyond said intermediateposition so that said armature is moved by the flux of said permanentmagnet means to the respective other end position; setting means for theregister movable between a plurality of digital positions; and controlmeans connected with said armature and activated by the same in one ofsaid end positions to place said setting means in a selected digitalposition.

2. Control magnet arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein said controlmeans include locking means movable between an inoperative position anda locking positiori for locking said setting means in a selected digitalposition, and wherein said locking means is connected with said armaturefor movement therewith so that said locking means is in said inoperativeand locking positions, respectively, when said armature is in said endpositions, respectively.

3. Control magnet arrangement as claimed in claim 1 wherein saidpermanent magnet means include a permanent magnet forming a yoke, andtwo opposite pole members having pole shoes' forming a gap andconstituting said two stops; wherein said armature has a movable freeend located between said pole shoes; and wherein said winding ispositioned so that said other flux increases the flux in one of saidpole members, and decreases the flux in the other pole member when saidwinding is energized.

4. Control magnet arrangement as claimed in claim 3 wherein said windingis located between said pole members and has ends respectively locatedadjacent said pole shoes and said permanent magnet.

5. Control magnet arrangement as claimed in claim 4 wherein saidarmature is a rod having another end resting on said permanent magnetequally spaced from the ends of the same in a zone free of a magneticfield so that said rod is pivotable about said other end between saidend positions.

6. Control magnet arrangement as claimed in claim 5, said control meanscomprising a locking member movable between an inoperative position anda locking position for locking said setting means in a selected one ofsaid plurality of digital positions; wherein said rod has said free endprojecting beyond said pole shoe; and wherein said locking member ismade of a non-magnetic material and is connected with said movable freeend so that said locking member is in said inoperative and lockingpositions, respectively, when said rod is in said end positions,respectively.

7. *Control magnet arrangement as claimed in claim 6 wherein saidsetting means include a setting wheel turnable between said plurality ofdigital positions and having teeth respectively associated with saiddigital positions, selected teeth being respectively engaged by saidlocking member in said locking position depending on the time ofenergization of said winding by an electric impulse during turningmovement of said setting wheel.

8. Control magnet arrangement as claimed in claim 7 wherein said teethof said setting wheel have a steep flank and asloping back; wherein saidlocking member projects between adjacent teeth in said locking position,and wherein when said setting wheel turns in one direction the flank ofa tooth abuts said locking member in said locking position wherebyrotation of said setting wheel is stopped in a selected digitalposition; and wherein when said setting wheel turns in the oppositedirection, said locking member is shifted by said sloping back of therespective adjacent tooth to move said armature rod beyond saidintermediate position so that said armature rod moves further to the endposition in which said locking member is in said inoperative position.

9. Control magnet arrangement as claimed in claim 1 comprising aplurality of said permanent magnet means and a plurality of saidwindings disposed in a row; said control means including a plurality oflocking members respectively connected with said armatures to be movedby the same between inoperative and locking positions when therespective armatures move between said end positions; and a plurality ofmovable setting means having a plurality of digital positions andadapted to be stopped in selected digital positions by said lockingmembers in said locking positions, respectively.

10. Control magnet arrangement as claimed in claim 9 wherein said magnetmeans are disposed in a plurality of parallel rows, the magnet means ofeach row abutting each other in the longitudinal direction of said rows,and wherein adjacent magnet means of said rows are staggered.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,046,977 7/1936 Sortore et al340324 2,244,601 6/1941 Barth 74142 3,065,904 11/1962 Parker 235-613,302,045 1/ 1967 Dotto 310-37 3,302,141 1/1967 Mayer 33594 FOREIGNPATENTS 882,139 2/ 1943 France.

STEPHEN J. TOMSKY, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R.

